Seventeen people have been killed on Mount Everest by avalanches – the mountain’s worst disaster in recorded history, while at least 2,200 people have been killed in Nepal because of the powerful aftershock that was felt on Sunday. Several avalanches were reported near Everest.
The 6.7 magnitude tremor was centred 60km (or 40 miles) east of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. Screams and the sound of an avalanche could be heard as an Indian mountaineer just happened to be getting interviewed by phone from near Everest by Reuters. Chile had been struck by a volcanic eruption on the 22nd April, and Japan had experienced a nearby earthquake on the 20th.
The death toll from the original earthquake could rise, as the situation is unclear in remote areas which remain cut off or hard to access; many mountain roads have been cracked or blocked by landslides. Scores of bodies have been ferried to hospitals in Kathmandu, many of which are struggling to cope with the number of injured. More than 700 have died in the capital alone.
As supplies run low, medics are expecting a fresh influx of patients on Sunday.
Rescuers often have had to use their bare hands to dig for survivors, buried underneath piles of rubble and debris.
Army officer Santosh Nepal told the Reuters news agency that he and his soldiers had to dig a passage into a collapsed three-storey residential building in Kathmandu using pickaxes because bulldozers could not get through the ancient city’s narrow streets.
“We believe there are still people trapped inside,” he told Reuters.
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck an area of central Nepal between Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara on Saturday morning. India, Bangladesh and the Chinese region of Tibet have also been hard hit by the quake.
This is the worst earthquake to strike Nepal since 1934, where 8,500 people had been killed.
“We have launched a massive rescue and rehabilitation action plan and lots needs to be done,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Minendra Rijal told Indian television. “Our country is in a moment of crisis and we will require tremendous support and aid.”
India is at the forefront of the relief effort, offering help including helicopters which have been deployed to remote areas.
The United States, China, Pakistan, Britain and several European Union countries are among those who have pledged aid. As with the aid that had been pledged to Palestine, one wonders how much of this promised aid will actually arrive. Only time will tell. The US and China have both also sent search-and-rescue teams.
“The absolute priority must be to reach people who are trapped and injured, and provide shelter and protection to those who have lost their homes,” UK International Development Secretary Justine Greening said.
A number of international charities such as the Red Cross, Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders and Christian Aid are also sending teams to affected areas.
Foreign climbers and several Nepalese guides around Mount Everest had been struck by the tremors and a huge avalanche. As well as the 17 confirmed deaths, 61 people were injured when part of the base camp was buried under snow. Dan Fredinburg, a Google executive who described himself as an adventurer, was among the dead, according to Google.
Helicopters trying to airlift the injured to Kathmandu managed to land at the base camp, despite being delayed by cloudy weather. If you wish to donate to this charity, check out this list of charities by Quartz. Do contact us if you’ve a story to share from that tragic day.
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